“We play in the back yard all the time and we would just go at each other and if we could finish without getting into a fight it would be me but a lot of times it would end in fights.”
What started as your normal childhood backyard brawl, soon turned into competitive fuel for Metea Valley senior basketball standout Charlie Nosek. Find out more in this feature presented by Edward Medical Group.
His usual opponent happened to be his younger brother Jake, a freshman who was called up to the varsity team over Christmas break. The addition of the younger Nosek helped the Mustangs go 3-1 in the Maine East holiday tournament. Since that time, his game developed in a big way to help the Metea ballers succeed, and it shows that another Nosek will be on display in the paint for years to come.
“He’s know all of us since the summer we spend a lot of time in the summer with summers camps and everything and I think all of the teams here really have a good connection all the way from freshman to varsity and everybody knows each other and all the kids all get along in the classrooms and on the court.”
The Nosek’s are far from the only group to have siblings hit the MV hardwood. From 2012-2018 two brothers by the name of Matthew and Ethan Helwig played pivotal roles for the Mustangs. In Matt’s junior season, he helped the Black and Gold capture their second regional title in school history, while Ethan became Metea’s Valley first ever 1,000-point scorer. Today the duo is thriving together on the court once again at North Central College.
From the Helwig’s to the Nosek’s, Charlie and Jake hope to bring in more of that winning tradition. The boys also have a sister in Jamie competing for the girl’s varsity program as she continues her junior campaign. While having three family members on the basketball court in varsity contests for first time is new, the sport itself is no stranger to the Nosek household.
“Everybody in my family played it so it was always pretty know that we were gonna be basketball players but to all be on varsity at the same time was never we never expected that. I think it’s brought us closer together as siblings we’ve all been playing varsity basketball we’re all going to practice we’re all working out and it’s just brought us close together as a family.”
As Jake gets the hang of his high school basketball career, this is far from the first instance he and his older brother have spent time together on the court.
“I followed him everywhere since I was little whenever he goes to train I was always with him and he just made me the player I am today always looking up to him so now having the opportunity to play alongside him it’s really special.”
The youngest started his basketball path on the Mustang sophomore squad when the season began. While waiting for a varsity opportunity, he knew that having Charlie as a teacher would help boost his confidence sooner than later.
“Watching Charlie play I was like I think I can do this playing with his teammates and stuff that’s always been a goal of mine and then I got the opportunity to and then I was like alright I’m finally here I can do this.”
As the Mustangs hit the second half of the conference season, only a month of competition remains and that means the pair will be separated from the Metea Basketball court. While the Alpha Nosek is deciding whether he’ll play at the collegiate level or not, he knows that playing basketball will not be the same without having his brother on his side. And despite their childhood clashes in the back yard, they can now fully appreciate their time wearing black and gold all together.
“It’s been a lot more fun than I expected I didn’t expect to be playing with and now that I have played with him, I’m thinking oh how am I gonna play without him.”
With graduation just months away, Charlie will continue his part by being a big fan of his younger brother and sister for years to come. For Naperville Weekly I’m Patrick Codo.
